Pharmacists

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

320k

Average Age

41.9

Estimated Job Growth

−3.26%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$107,075

Average Male Salary

$118,052

Average Female Salary

$99,293

About

Pharmacists are most often employed by the Pharmacies & drug stores industry. The average yearly wage for Pharmacists was $107,075 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Pharmacists by wage are Natural sciences managers, Miscellaneous engineers, including nuclear engineers, and Electrical & electronics engineers.

Pharmacists are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, and 37 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Pharmacists are Irvine City (Central) PUMA, CA, Butler County PUMA, PA, and Mission Bend (Southwest), Cinco Ranch & Four Corners PUMA, TX. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Pharmacists are North Hempstead Town (South) PUMA, NY, Carr 2-Carr 129 PUMA, PR, and San Antonio City (Far North) & Timberwood Park PUMA, TX.

Photo by Mike Mozart

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Pharmacists and on wages and locations for those in the field. Pharmacies & drug stores is the industry that employs the most Pharmacists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Pharmacists, by average wage, is Professional & commercial equipment & supplies merchant wholesalers. Pharmacists are paid most in Hibbing & Cloquet Cities PUMA, MN but are relatively concentrated in North Hempstead Town (South) PUMA, NY.

Yearly Wage

$107,075

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,629

In 2020, Pharmacists earned an average of $107,075, $51,122 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Electrical & electronics engineers make somewhat more than Pharmacists while Natural sciences managers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Pharmacists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.285

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Pharmacists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.285, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Pharmacists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Pharmacists.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Pharmacists

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Pharmacists.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Pharmacists, by number of employees, are Pharmacies & drug stores, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores, Outpatient care centers, General merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters, Insurance carriers, Administration of human resource programs, Other health care services, Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Offices of physicians, and Electronic shopping and mail-order houses.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Pharmacists, by average wage, are Professional & commercial equipment & supplies merchant wholesalers, Scientific research & development services, and Agencies, brokerages, and other insurance related activities.

Industries by Share

320k

2020 Workforce

± 13,880

3.84%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5.96%

The number of people employed as Pharmacists has been growing at a rate of 3.84%, from 308,481 people in 2019 to 320,328 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Pharmacists employed by various industries. Pharmacies & drug stores employs the largest share of Pharmacists at 55.3%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 29% and Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores with 3%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Pharmacists in the US. The average age of male Pharmacists in the workforce is 44.4 and of female Pharmacists is 40.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Pharmacists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

133k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 8,946

187k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 10,622

58.5% of Pharmacists are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Pharmacists.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Pharmacists

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

66% of Pharmacists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 20.5% of Pharmacists, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Pharmacists.

Age by Sex

44.4

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.963

40.2

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.66

The median age of Pharmacists is 41.9, and Male employees are generally 4.18 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Pharmacists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Pharmacists is Health but a relatively high number of Pharmacists hold a major in Health.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Pharmacists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pharmacists need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and Critical Thinking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Pharmacists need more than the average amount of Science, Management of Material Resources, and Operations Analysis.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Pharmacists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Pharmacists are expected to see a growth of −3.26% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

−3.26%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Pharmacists. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.